The Lebanese army says it is not coordinating with the Syrian army in its military operations.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun was following the army operation, called "Jroud Dawn". "Jroud" refers to the barren, mountainous border area between Lebanon and Syria.

Last month, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah forced Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters and Syrian rebels to leave nearby border strongholds in a joint operation with the Syrian army.

The Lebanese army, a major recipient of US military aid, did not take part in the July operation, but it has been gearing up to assault the ISIL pocket in the same mountainous region. A military source said around 500 ISIL fighters were holed up in the enclave.